Only a couple of days in Quito -Best Plan?
 

We fly into Quito on Sat., August 25 at 6PM. Figure we will just go to our hotel, have dinner and probably go to sleep.

We have 2 full days after this in Quito, beginning on a Sunday. I've read about certain sights and areas to tour, but haven't figured out the best itinerary to make the most of our limited time. Old town and Teleferique in same day? We're staying in Mariscal.

We will be going to the Bellavista Cloud Forest for 3 days after Quito, so we don't need to include that as a day trip in our Quito itinerary.

Would like to see a volcano - or wander through one (possible)?

Any itinerary suggestions would be valued.

Haven't been yet; going in a few weeks. On one day, we're going to Cotopaxi Volcano NP with a private guide to do some light hiking. It's south of Quito, so it would take you in the opposite direction from Bellavista, I believe. Then there is Pululahua Crater, which might be an interesting day trip. We have a couple of unplanned days around Quito and may fit this into our schedule as well.

What you can do in one day depends on your pace. Many day trips include the crater, El Teleferico, Old Town, the Mitad del Mundo, and more, so it seems that would be doable. Would it be satisfying and would you get to explore everything as much as you'd like to ... well that's the question to consider.

Be careful of your activity level and pace the first couple of days ... especially if you're not used to high altitude.

Can't really decide between Cotopaxi and Pululahua. Would't be climbing up to the refuge area in Cotopaxi anyway --- a bit too much on only our second real day in Quito?

If you're arriving at 6PM, no reason to just have dinner and go to sleep. Take a cab to the old city, see all the churches lit up and night, and then go to La Ronda, which is lined with bars and restaurants. That is the place to be on a Saturday night.

In the morning, start by taking a cab up to the Panecillo, assuming its a clear morning, where the views are amazing. Then head back to the old city. See the Iglesia de San Francisco, Iglesia de Santo Domingo, Compana de Jesus and then the Basilica where you can climb to the top of the clock towers (it is a steep climb though). If there is still time, walk around one of the parks - Carolina or El Ejido.

On the second day, if it's still clear, go up to the Teleferico. You can go to the Mitdad del Mundo and in the city hit the Capilla del Hombre and Fundacion Guayasamin, though check to see if they're open on Monday. You can also walk around the Mariscal when it is busy on a weekday or head up to Itchimbia Park.

You can do a day trip to Cotopaxi, but if you're not going to the refuge, you'd really just be doing a car trip. And once again, make sure it is a clear day, which in August it is more likely to be.

Hi trebex - Thanks for all the information. I am slowly looking up your recommendations and so will have a few questions.

(We figured that we would be sooo tired from the whole day of travel that we would just want to check into our hotel and have dinner and go to sleep. But we're keeping an open mind about doing what you've recommended for the first night.)

Anyway, right now the first questions are -
If we hire a cab to go up to the Panecillo, can the cab wait there and then take us back down to the old city? Is there a "waiting" fee, or just the meter keeps running?

How do you get a cab to take you back to hotel once we have eaten in the old city the first night (Sat.)? Any restaurant recommendations? (Moderately priced.)

Yes, you can have a cab wait for you at the top. Most of the ones I took didn't use the meter but still charged the proper rate. I believe it was $15 to go up to the Panecillo, wait for 20 minutes or so and then back to the old city. You can probably get it for less.

You can easily get cabs anywhere in the city. Just make sure it is a yellow cab, not an unmarked one. Sorry to say I cannot give any restaurant recommendations since the ones I chose were bad, but there are a lot funky places on La Ronda that I wish I had tried.